Water: The Forgotten Biological Molecule

Addressing a number of highly topical aspects of a fast-emerging field, this thorough investigation emphasizes the important yet elusive role of water in biological processes. Bringing together multidisciplinary contributions from leading authorities on the properties and capacity of water in cell systems, this intriguing study focuses on current research developments in the theoretical and experimental studies of water in biological systems and compounds--such as interaction with hydrophobic or hydrophilic structures, protein, and membrane surfaces--with insights on the importance of water in cellular processes, physiology, and ultimately, in life, brain function, and overall health.

Hidenao Fukuyama is the chairman of the Human Brain Research Center at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. Denis Le Bihan is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the director and founder of NeuroSpin, an ultrahigh-field MRI facility at the Atomic Energy Commission in Saclay, France.